A Hearth's Warming Carol
by DellEugenio
Summary: Twilight Sparkle is awakened on Hearth's warming eve by spirits who show her own miserable existence, what opportunities she wasted so far, her current cruelties and the dire fate that awaits her if she does not change her ways. Twilight is faced with her own story of growing selfish and meanness, and must decide what her own future will hold: sadness or friendship.
1. The ghost

**Ugh, I need to stop writing new fics.**

**Anyway, Christmas is near and I watched like five or so versions of A Christmas Carol, that's one of my favourite stories ever. So I wanted to write a version and nothing better than MLP came to my mind. Remember, the characters are not who they are on the show, so personalities/family may change. I did choose them loosely inspired by their cannon though, and some lines are from the actual book.**

**I do not own My little pony or A christmas carol.**

**That being said, enjoy and Merry Christmas everypony!**

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><p>It was Hearth's Warming Eve and the sun was going down. The streets of Ponyville were covered in snow, the flakes fell softly from the sky as the lights on the shop windows went out and the dark windows of the houses were illuminated as ponies lit up candles. Every one of them had smiles on their faces and wished happiness to every passenger, was it friend or stranger.<p>

Well, to all except one.

She was known on the city as the grumpiest pony that had ever lived. Whenever she passed by, the sound of laughter and cheerful talks was replaced by silence, and it remained like that until she was far enough not to hear them. Everypony felt uncomfortable around her, even though she never pronounced any word. Sometimes she stopped walking, annoyed by the sounds of the upcoming holiday, only to roll her eyes and keep walking to her store.

Twilight Sparkle was her name. The crunch of her hooves sounded harder than everypony's else. She was draped in a blue hooded cape that covered her face. She could easily be mistaken for some kind of ghost. It was worn and old, but she refused to buy a new one. As she always said, "Money is money", and she wouldn't spend a coin as long as she still had her cape. It didn't keep her warm anymore, but it was free.

- Good evening, miss Sparkle.

Twilight turned her head, even if she knew already who that voice belonged to. That pink pony was the only one who ever spoke to her. She was wearing and playing all her instruments at the same time, and still held out a hat in front of Twilight.

- Got any coins for charity? - She asked, happily. Whoever walked by would think the pink pony was crazy to speak with such grumpy pony. But maybe she was.

- Pinkie Pie. - The unicorn said, rolling her eyes. Twilight threw back her head, allowing her hood to fall and revealing her beautiful purple eyes and mane - Do you have to do it every year?

- Of course! - She said, playing her flute once more before talking to Twilight again - Charity always needs money. Not everypony is lucky as me and you! So, any coins?

- Lucky? - Twilight said, ignoring the last question - You're just a fool. How lucky are you?

- I have a lot of friends! Because of that I consider myself the luckiest mare in the world! So, got any coins? - She asked again, stretching her hoof and pressing her hat against Twilight's chest - The poor and I need help!

Twilight looked coldly to the pink mare, but that didn't make her smile fade. In fact, she smiled harder. Instead of giving her a coin, Twilight spit on the hat. Pinkie Pie nodded and put her hat on the ground.

- That was for me, alright. Now, do you have something for the poor? - She said pointing to the coins she had inside a can.

Twilight sighed annoyed and simply turned around, going back to walk.

- Okie dokie! Merry Hearth's Warming Eve to you! - Pinkie said as she waved her hat and started to play again.

Twilight lowered her head and caused the hood to cover her face again. She turned to her right and there it was: her store. She was an excellent pony of business, having more money than all the other ponies on that town together. But had the villagers not known her already, they would think she was a beggar due to her always wearing the same old cape.

Twilight looked up and saw the old sign. Her partner on business, Rarity, had been dead for a year already, due to an accident that happened on a cruise. The sign still said "Twilight & Rarity", as the purple pony never bothered enough to paint it out. Reading that again, she smirked. It was clear on her memory, Rarity. As much as she hated emotions, she sure liked that white pony. What a sinner she was! Always fooling the ponies to get more money. It was the only pony she ever came to befriend. Twilight shook her head and opened the door at last.

Her office was nearly as cold as the outside, but she didn't care. She used her magic to take off her cape and laid it on her table. She then walked over a cabinet and lifted her scarf. It was as old as her cape. She wrapped it around her neck and examined it closely.

"I should get a new one... No. No unnecessary spending. It may still be useful for a year or three." She thought before looking to the clock on the wall. After that she turned her head to the window, and saw a familiar orange pony running towards the store. "Ten minutes late."

Soon the door was open and said orange pony entered. She was panting a lot and her thin lips were blue, showing how cold she was. She rubbed her arm, trying to keep herself warm, and shook her cold body to get rid of the snow. The fact that she was wearing old clothes did not help, but it was the best she could buy. Still, she was never heard complaining about anything.

- Ten minutes. - Twilight said, without even taking her eyes off her lecture.

- I'm so sorry, Miss Sparkle. My sister Applebloom is sick, and my brother was...

Twilight motioned for her to stop.

- I don't want to know about your personal problems, Applejack. What have I said about being late?

- It won't happen again, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick...

- Please, don't. I've had enough with that cousin of yours today. - Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

- Pinkie Pie, always so random. - Applejack nodded and entered the room where she worked, but stepped back quickly - Hum, excuse me, Miss Sparkle, but...

She covered her face with her hat, afraid. Twilight finally put down the parchment on which she was writing and looked at Applejack. The earth pony drew a circle with her hoof, awkwardly. It didn't matter how long she had been working for Twilight, the purple pony always scared her.

- Time is money! Spill it out!

- Well, hum, I was wondering if I could use one more piece of coal today. It's colder than before! A little hard to work with frozen hooves, yah know. - She smiled.

Twilight closed her book and sighed.

- We've talked about it before. Only _one _piece of coal. Now go back to work if you want to get paid.

- Oh, sure, sorry, how silly of me. - She said, going back to the other room.

The silence didn't last long. Soon the doorbell rang again.

- Merry Hearth's warming! - Cried a cheerful voice. It came from a white pony, which had a scarf wrapped around his neck and a saddle bag on his back. He took his bonnet off and waved his arm.

- Shining Armor. - Twilight said, annoyed. For her, every moment she spent talking was a moment lost - Hearth's warming , humph.

- Hello, sis! Hello, Applejack!

The orange pony happily waved, but stopped when Twilight stared angrily at her.

- What are you doing here?

- I came to invite you to spend Hearth's warming at my house. We haven't reunited since mom and dad died, it has been a while.

- Shining, why do you still come here every year? You know my answer. No.

- Can't blame a guy for asking. By the way, didn't you receive the invitation for my wedding? It was last week.

- Of course I did. I just didn't go. Actually the invitation is right there. - She said, pointing at the trash can.

Shining looked to Applejack, who shrugged in response.

- It's fine. You're still invited for hearth's warming though, so if you appear there, you'll be welcome. My wife really wants to meet you!

- The feeling isn't mutual.

Ignoring his sister's commentary, Shining used his magic to wrap a wreath around the fireplace.

- There. All better.

- What's that now?

- Come on, this needs a touch. It's the only house that doesn't have one single decoration.

- Because decorations are useless! - She said, angrily removing the wreath - I don't want anything that has to do with that stupid holiday.

- Stupid? Come on, you don't mean it. Hearth's warming is amazing. A time for joy, a time to see the ones you...

- Enough! Enough. Now, if you don't mind, I have business to do. And take this with you. - She said, giving the wreath to him and going back to her table.

- You should change your name to grumpy pants. I'll be waiting for you! Merry Hearth's warming, Applejack!

- To you too, Mister Armor!

Her brother left the room without an angry word, notwithstanding. He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who cold as he was, was warmer than Twilight; for he returned them cordially. He stopped whenever somepony greeted him, and it was the reason why it took him so long to finally leave that street, but he didn't care. Before he turned the corner, Applejack saw him giving Pinkie some coins through the window.

- Nice fellow. - Applejack giggled - Always so happy.

Those were the last words heard in that room for the rest of the afternoon. The sun finally went down and the light disappeared as the night came. Twilight checked her clock; there was still one hour of work left. Her candle was almost dead, but she didn't care. Using two candles at the same time would be squandering, even if she had to squint in order to keep working.

The sound of Applejack's hooves broke the silence as she approached Twilight's table. She stood there in silence until the unicorn looked at her.

- Sorry, Miss Sparkle, but I was wondering... If I could leave earlier today.

- Why? - Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.

- Well, it's Hearth's warming eve, and I... I promised my sister I would be there to have dinner with her.

Applejack couldn't tell what Twilight was thinking. The unicorn looked at the clock a few times before speaking up.

- You may leave. But be here at the right time tomorrow!

Applejack's confused frown suddenly became a huge smile. She almost felt the urge to hug the purple pony.

- Oh, my goodness! I will! Thank you, thank you, Miss Sparkle! I wish you a merry...

- Just leave before I change my mind!

The orange pony ran, got her scarf, waved and left the room as quickly as she could. Twilight saw her running away through the window and went back to work.

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><p>By the time she left work, Twilight was the only living soul on the street. The snow was still falling, but not softly like before. When the cold night came, a huge storm started to fall. Twilight locked the door and slid when she tried to go down the steps in front of the store.<p>

- Ouch. - She said, standing up. The wind was so hard that all she could see in front of her were blurs and snowflakes. Had she not known her way home very well, she would have gotten lost for sure.

Twilight walked slowly as the wind pushed her. Her hood kept falling over her shoulders, it didn't matter how much she tried to keep it in place.

"Another thing I hate about this holiday, the weather gets terrible!" she thought. Not long after that, the storm suddenly changed. The snowflakes stopped to fall and the wind stopped to blow. Twilight looked up, suspicious, but glad. Now her path was clearer and she could walk normally. Putting her hood over her head and straightening her cape, she kept walking alone on the cold night. Soon she was at home.

Twilight had one of the biggest houses of the city, and it may have been once beautiful. It was old enough now, and dreary enough, for nobody lived in it but Twilight, who didn't care for the dead garden or the cracks on the walls. If the ponies weren't used to it already, they would think that the owner had made a mistake and decorated their house to Nightmare Night instead.

The purple pony was about to turn the key, which was already in the lock of the door, when something got her attention.

It would be at least unusual for something as ordinary as a knocker to get somepony's attention. Twilight had seen it many times before, every time she entered her house. But now it wasn't a knocker.

It was Rarity's face.

As in Rarity, her dead business partner. Her mane was the same, her blue eyes wide open as she stared motionless at Twilight. Contrary to everything else on the dark night, the knocker-ity was illuminated as if it was under an afternoon sun. Twilight could hear her own heart beating in fear, an emotion she hadn't felt since her fillyhood. She gulped and waved in front of Rarity's eyes, not knowing what to expect. Nothing happened, Rarity kept still. Her dead eyes made Twilight shrink and give a few steps back.

Her blood ran through her body as it was boiled water. She panted, and could see her own breath. Twilight stood still, frozen in place for a few minutes that felt like days as she looked to the knocker-ity. Suddenly she heard a cracking noise behind her and turned her head quickly, looking from side to side.

- Hello? - She said, almost whispering.

Nopony replied. When Twilight looked to her door again, the knocker was back to normal, the doorway as dark as everything else. She slowly approached, still looking around. It took her a while to touch the key and turn it, but then she quickly entered her house and closed the door with a bang, closing her eyes. She slowly opened her right eye, and saw that everything seemed to be normal. With a sigh of relief, she opened her left eye and lightened her candle.

Shaking her head, she started to walk. Her room was on the second floor, but before she went to the stairs she looked in every room on the first floor. Twilight refused to believe there were ghosts or something supernatural, so she tried not to think about the knocker. The only logical explanation was that she was going crazy, and it scared her more than ghosts did.

Her house was silent as always, the sound of her hooves resounded through every room. She shook her head and finally went upstairs when it was clear she was alone.

She entered her room, unaware of a shadow that lacked an object. The shadow followed her, slowly.

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><p>Twilight was about to go to bed. She looked at the clock: ten o'clock. Her eyes were starting to close as she lay down. The knocker-ity thing seemed far away now, as if it had never happened.<p>

"Maybe I was just sleepy. Yeah, that was it. Rarity's face, humph."

She closed her eyes at last, preparing to get some rest, when she heard a noise. It wasn't a cracking noise; it was the sound of hooves. Twilight's ears perked up, but the sound was so far away that she thought it came from outside, not even bothering to open her eyes. It started to get louder and louder, until Twilight sat up and stared the darkness.

It wasn't only the sound of hooves. There was something else she could not place. It was a clanking noise, deep down below. Soon, she recognized it: somepony was dragging a heavy chain. It was unusual enough, but the chains didn't scare her.

The fact that the sound was coming from inside her house did.

- Hello? - She called. Using her magic, she levitated a baseball bat and kept it hovering besides her - Anypony there?

The sound kept going on, the steps getting closer and closer, and so did the chains. Twilight shrank and gritted her teeth, heavy breathing. Soon, someone stepped on the doorway of her room and knocked the door.

- Go away! Take everything you want, but leave me alone! - She let out a cry and covered her face with her blanket - Please!

- Twilight...

The voice called from the other side of the door. It was echoing and for sure feminine. Twilight thought it sounded familiar, but she was too scared to think about it. She waved the baseball bat with her magic.

- How do you know my name? Go away!

- Open the door, Twilight... - The voice said again, calm and soft.

- No! I won't!

The knocking stopped, and nothing was heard for a few seconds. Twilight uncovered her eyes and looked at the door.

- Hello?

What Twilight saw next wasn't plausible. She couldn't believe it herself. Suddenly, in front of her eyes, a ghost came on through the heavy door. It had the form of a pony, a blurred blue ghost. Her body was rather transparent and fluorescent, so Twilight could see the door behind her. Around the ghost, several chains floated, yet when she walked they sounded as if they were being dragged along the ground. Each chain was attached to the pony's body, on her hooves and neck; and each chain was tied on an object. There was a mirror, a safe and many other objects around her.

Twilight gulped and could barely breathe. Her whole body was shaking, and her horn stopped glowing as she dropped the bat.

- Long time no see, Twilight.

The purple pony blinked many times, then squinted. No, it couldn't be. It was hard enough to believe there was a ghost in front of her, it couldn't be. Her heart was beating so loud that she almost couldn't hear her own words when she finally spoke up.

- Rar... Rarity?

Motionless, the ghost nodded.

- Please calm down. I mean no harm.

Twilight got out of her bed, without breaking eye contact and walked towards the ghost. They were inches apart, and Twilight slowly raised her hoof. When she attempted to touch Rarity, the ghost gave a step back and the chains sounded.

- Please, let's keep it like this. I'm risking enough coming here. Ghosts are not allowed to show themselves for the mortals, nor have any kind of interaction, but here I am. I must be fast.

- Rarity! It is you! How? It makes no sense! - Twilight said, incredulous.

- Twilight, listen...

- What is all this? - She asked, pointing to the chains.

- Those? They're chains I made when I was alive. When I fooled the poor and stole the honest. Now, I have to carry them for eternity, and the same will happen to you.

Twilight's eyes widened.

- Me? Why?

- The path you choose to go is leading you to a lonely, dark future. If you don't change it now, you'll soon be just like me, forced to carry heavy chains for eternity. It's too late for me, but there may be time for you... If you accept my proposal.

- Yes! Of course! I'll do anything!

- Tonight, three spirits will appear. Listen to them. Then maybe your future will change. The future I see now for you, I assure, can't be described as pleasant.

- Spirits? As in... Ghosts?

- No. Ghosts were once alive. Spirits are superior. They come from above. They will show you things you saw, things you don't see and things you may or may not see. It all depends on you and you only. Now I must go. Good to see you, Twilight. Goodbye.

- Rarity, wait!

The ghost passed through the door and left. Twilight ran and opened the door.

- Rarity, come back! You...

Twilight looked around. The ghost was nowhere to be found, the house was empty and everything was silent. She looked downstairs and saw nothing but darkness. She sighed and went back to her room, unsure and scared. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, but couldn't sleep. It was too much to understand or to believe.

Rarity's voice echoed on her head, and she covered herself with her blanket. Before trying to sleep again, she sat up.

- Anypony else there?

No reply. Twilight sighed and blew out the candle, laying down and closing her eyes again.

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><p><strong>This chapter was mostly inspired by the Disney version of the movie. Also, the idea to adapt a story for ponies was inspired by DisneyFanactic2364, you should go check her stuff if you haven't already!<strong>

**See you next chapter.**


	2. The spirit of the past

**I was very inspired to write this chapter, because picking characters to play the spirits is really fun.**

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><p>Twilight rolled over and over on her bed for what felt like the whole night, but the stress and the fear wouldn't leave her no matter what. She got out of her bed and walked to the window, opened the curtains with her magic and looked up. A soft breeze went through her mane as she watched the town. It would be in total darkness if it wasn't for the few candles that remained alight inside some houses, like small fireflies flying on the night.<p>

She lit up her candle and looked around her room. There wasn't any sign of anything unusual, except maybe for one or two melting snowflakes that got in the room when Twilight opened the window. She sighed, relieved, and opened the door. She stood there in the doorway for a few seconds, not exactly sure of what she was expecting. Deep inside, maybe she was afraid of some other ghost.

"Ok. Here it goes."

Twilight watched her step as if she was watching her enemy. Every single noise would make her shrink and turn her head quickly, only to find out it was just a dog barking outside or her old house itself. The noises it made annoyed her since the day she moved in, but renovating would be too expensive. She shook her head and kept walking.

She quickly opened the door that stood in between her and the kitchen. Some water would help her to calm down and empty her mind. After placing her candle on the table, she filled a cup and drank it, sitting down. Twilight stared down at the table and crossed her hooves in front of her.

There was so much going through her mind that she didn't even notice when the candle went out because of a draft. First, the storm stopped out of nowhere. Then the knocker on her door became Rarity for a few seconds; and after that Rarity herself appeared - in ghost form!

Twilight's whole body shivered when she remembered about the ghost. Before that night, she never really believed they actually existed; therefore she never spent much time thinking about how they would look like. Rarity as a ghost wasn't scary at all. She didn't have any claws or anything like that. But there was something, something about her blurry form, her dark blue color and the dead light she emitted, not to mention her chains that made Twilight uncomfortable and sad. As she thought about it, the words "The bright light of the death" seemed the best to sum up the whole situation with the ghost.

But then again, had she seen the ghost for real? Twilight never cared for imagination nor ever really used hers. After all, she was all the time with her muzzle on business books or thinking about money. Imagination, just like charity and decorations, seemed useless.

Twilight shook her head and took one more sip of her water before standing up and walking back to her room. This time, she didn't bother to worry about noises or the darkness, she just wanted to sleep. The next day would eventually come and it would be a new day - luckily without any ghosts.

The few light that allowed Twilight to see her path and kept her from bumping into the furniture came from the windows. She walked through a hallway that had a clock on the wall. She glanced at it as she passed by, but then she suddenly stopped and stood still.

It couldn't be right.

She walked backward a few steps until she was in front of the clock and looked at it. Maybe it was broken? No, the seconds hand was moving. Maybe the darkness was playing tricks on her. Twilight cast a light spell and was startled when she saw it hadn't changed.

With her heart beating fast, she ran back to the kitchen and looked at the other clock. The most plausible explanation was that both clocks had broken at the same time, but Twilight knew it wasn't it. She gave a few steps back as realization hit her.

It was ten o'clock.

But how? She was sure she had been rolling in bed for quite some time before going to the kitchen. And more, she had gone to bed at ten o'clock. Rarity's visit should have lasted at least more than ten minutes. Then she thought about the alight candles she had seen through her room's window. If it was really about dawn as she thought, the candles wouldn't be alight anymore, after all ponies blew them out before going to bed.

That was it. Either she had gone back in time or time had frozen after Rarity's visit until that moment.

But why?

It was when Twilight's ear perked up. She was hearing a muffled sound she couldn't describe, but for some reason she felt calm. She turned around, and through the crack of the door she saw light. That couldn't be, for she hadn't lit up a candle outside the kitchen, but she wasn't scared at all. It was like something inside her told her that it was all fine.

She took a deep breath before walking to the door. She put her hoof on the door, but stood still for a while before finally pushing it.

Twilight's jaw dropped at the sigh she had. In front of her, there was the most beautiful Hearth's warming tree she had ever seen, not to mention the decoration. There were socks on the fireplace, that was clean and the fire burnt with the brightest flame; gifts under the tree; colorful ribbons came down from the ceiling. The sound she heard before was no longer muffled, and she could finally see where it came from.

Hovering near the tree top was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. She was wearing a golden dress, silver strips decorated the skirt. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail that fell over her back and went from side to side as she flapped her wings, and she had a silver flower on her forelock. She placed a star on the top of the tree as she sang with the most beautiful voice Twilight had ever heard.

_My dear Santa, _  
><em>What will you bring to me?<em>  
><em>Mommy says 'Be patient!'<em>  
><em>But I just want to see!<em>

_I was good the whole year_  
><em>Bless my brother and the ones I hold dear!<em>  
><em>Granny says that I need to sleep<em>  
><em>but I want to be up, I want to see...<em>

She murmured a few more notes before she stopped singing at all. There were no instruments around, but Twilight could swear there was music playing when the pegasus was singing. She approached and sniffed when she felt an amazing smell. On a table near the tree there was a glass of milk and a tray full of chocolate cookies. Twilight began to lick her lips when she saw that, those were her favorite!

- Oh, there you are!

Twilight looked up and saw the pegasus flying down until she was in front of Twilight. She was even more beautiful when she was close, and now Twilight could see her big blue eyes. Twilight opened her mouth and tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come. The pegasus smiled and grabbed the tray.

- Those are for Santa Hooves, but I think there'll be no problem if you eat one.

The purple pony approached and grabbed one cookie. Before eating it, she smelled and it made her smile.

- Gosh! They smell exactly like the cookies my mother used to make!

- Well, I hope they also taste as good. - The pegasus said, smiling.

Twilight was about to put the cookie on her mouth when realization hit her again.

- Wait, wait. Who are you? What is all this?

- Oh, of course, what was I thinking? I'm Fluttershy, the spirit of Hearth's warming past.

Twilight blinked.

- Come again?

- I thought Rarity had warned you of my visit. Oh, she didn't tell you? I'm sorry.

- No, she did, but... Wait, so this is happening for real? And where did all these come from? - She asked looking at the decoration.

- It all comes from the heart, Twilight. That's why the cookies smell like your mother's.

- From the... Wait, how do you know my name?

- I've followed you since the day you were born. I follow your steps every passing day. I told you, I'm the spirit of the past. Now you better eat your cookie, we have a journey to make.

Twilight couldn't resist the smell anymore and put the cookie into her mouth. She felt good when the taste brought back some memories.

- Wait, journey? - She asked, still chewing the cookie.

- You really should pay more attention when a ghost talks to you. - Fluttershy giggled - Now come with me.

Fluttershy walked to the window and opened it. Contrary to what Twilight expected there was no wind or snowflakes outside. The night was clear and surprisingly, it wasn't cold. The pegasus started to flap her wings and flew through the window, motioning for Twilight to follow her. The purple pony went to the window.

- What are you waiting for? - Fluttershy asked.

- Well, you know... - Twilight glanced at her blank back.

- Oh, of course, you don't have wings. How silly of me. Here, hold my hoof.

- I'm not going out there, I... I'll fall!

- You won't fall. Now come, give me your hoof. Just hold on!

Twilight gulped and reached out, closing her eyes when the pegasus held her hoof. She didn't feel anything different, but when she opened her eyes she saw that she wasn't on the ground anymore. She was flying; Fluttershy was still holding her hoof as she flapped her wings and pulled Twilight through the sky. She let out a cry when she noticed they were getting higher.

- What's wrong, Twilight? I thought you enjoyed looking down on the world. - Fluttershy giggled.

- Look out! - Twilight cried when she saw they were flying towards a chimney. The pegasus didn't move aside, so Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the crash, but it didn't happen.

Soon there was music. And cheerful talk. Surprised, Twilight opened her eyes and found herself in a house. More specifically, she was on a living room that was all decorated for Hearth's warming eve. There were a lot of ponies dancing and playing, and it all felt familiar for her, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Fluttershy was by her side, slowly moving her head for side to side and murmuring along the song that was being played.

- Fluttershy... Where are we?

The pegasus looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

- Are you sure you don't remember?

Twilight looked back to the party. Her eyes widened.

- Wait, is that... Granny Jay? But... She died many years ago! And this... This was her house! But...

- We're on the past, Twilight. Have you forgotten who I am?

Twilight gasped as the memories came back for her. She watched as the old mare put on ribbons around the tree. Suddenly, a very familiar purple filly with purple eyes and wearing a Hearth's warming hat and a scarf entered the room running.

- Wait... That's me! Oh, I remember this party! It happened when I was six! I didn't even have my cutie mark! It was my last Hearth's warming with granny, before... Before she died.

They watched as the filly giggled and ran to hug the old mare. She happily jumped around and spoke fast, excited.

- Granny, do you think Santa will come? What will he bring me? What did you ask him to bring you? I was a good filly the whole year and I just can't wait! I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited that...

- Calm down, filly. - The old mare giggled as she patted little Twilight's head - We still have to wait. Why don't you go play with your friends?

The filly nodded and looked around. On the corner of the room, three fillies played happily. One of them was pink with a very puffy mane, the other one was blue and had a beautiful multi-colored made and tail, and the third one was orange and had freckles.

- Rainbow Dash! - Adult Twilight said in surprise - I haven't seen her in years! That's right; she was one of my best friends!

- And so were Pinkie and Applejack. You see them two every day, yet you seem to have forgotten about your fillyhood.

Adult Twilight looked to the pegasus and then at the four fillies, who played happily. Small Pinkie gave small Twilight a huge hug as she rubbed her face on Twilight's. The purple filly laughed and returned the hug, pulling away to go hug with the other two as well. Adult Twilight giggled, but then frowned.

"I wonder where Rainbow Dash is nowadays. We lost contact so long ago..."

Suddenly the blue filly ran towards Fluttershy. Twilight was scared that she would bump into her, but the filly passed right through her instead as she wasn't there. The purple pony gasped, shocked, then saw small Pinkie running towards her and the same happened. Before she could ask, Fluttershy spoke up.

- You better know, we're here just watching. Nopony can hear or see us. Consider yourself a temporary ghost. Now keep watching.

Twilight nodded and turned her head to the party again. Her heart stopped for a second when she saw her parents. Her mother had baked some cookies and was giving them for the ponies, and her father patted the head of a small foal with white fur and blue hair

- Shining Armor? - Twilight uttered.

- BBBFF! - The purple filly said as she ran towards the white foal and hugged him - You're back! You're back! I knew you were going to be home for Hearth's warming, I just knew it!

- Of course! I promised you, didn't I? I'll always, always be with you for Hearth's warming!

- Pinkie promise it! - Filly Twilight demanded.

- Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. - Shining said as he giggled.

Ghost Twilight smiled when her filly self and her brother started singing together.

_Joy to the ponies, far and near_  
><em>what an amazing time of year<em>  
><em>Isn't it just great to say<em>  
><em>Merry Hearth's warming for you today!<em>

Filly Twilight jumped around her brother and hugged him one more time. Then Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash approached them and got hugs from Shining Armor as well. Adult Twilight overheard Pinkie's mother talking to her mother.

- I don't know how to thank you for this. I thought my family and I wouldn't have a Hearth's warming party this year. Poor Pinkie would have been so sad. Thank you!

- Why, it's always a pleasure to be surrounded by the ones we love on this special holiday! And Twilight loves to play with your daughter. Look at them!

The four fillies ran around the room, chasing each other. Then filly Twilight stopped running.

- Wait! I almost forgot!

- What, Twilight? - Rainbow asked.

The unicorn filly ran to behind a chair and when she came back she was pushing three presents with her head. She gave one to each of her friends, who gasped and smiled, but soon frowned. Filly Twilight turned her head, confused.

- Why aren't you unpacking?

- Well, we... We have nothing to give you, Twilight. - Pinkie said, sadly.

Filly Twilight looked at them for a moment and started to laugh.

- Silly! You don't have to give me anything! Being your friend is the best gift I could ever ask for. I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me.

- Damn it, Twi! Now you've got me acting all sappy! - Rainbow said, tears on her eyes.

The three fillies smiled and unpacked. Rainbow got a badge of the Wonderbolts, Applejack got a necklace with an apple shaped pedant and Pinkie got a noisemaker.

- She bought them with her own money! She has been mowing the lawn of the neighbors for months now! - Shining Armor said, proudly putting his arm around Twilight.

The three fillies wiped the tears and hugged the purple unicorn.

- We love you, Twilight!

- I love you too, girls.

Tears were going down adult Twilight's face. Seeing all her relatives that had died already made her heart heavy, but it hurt even more when she saw the ones who were still alive - but she never bothered to visit. She missed them more than anything, and wished she wasn't just a ghost so she could hug them there.

"Why did I say no to my brother when he invited me?"

- Spirit, Fluttershy, whatever, please take me away! I can't watch this anymore!

- It's ok. We have to go to our next destiny now anyway.

Fluttershy started to walk and Twilight followed her. As they walked, the scenery around them started to blur and the sound started to muffle, until they were walking on an empty blank.

- Where are we? - Twilight asked.

Fluttershy stomped her hoof and a hard wind started to blow. Fluttershy stood still, while Twilight made her best not to be pushed. She covered her eyes until the wind was gone, and when she opened them, she gasped.

In front of her was herself, but not exactly. It was a younger Twilight. She was on a school ball, but she sat alone while the other ponies danced.

- I remember this. - Adult Twilight said - We had a hearth's warming party at my school. I think I was fifteen or so.

- Do you remember what happened on this day?

But adult Twilight wasn't paying attention to Fluttershy. Instead, she was watching herself. The younger Twilight was wearing a purple-ish gown and had her hair tied into a ponytail, her forelock was straight and fell softly over her face. She looked sadly to the ponies who danced, so distracted that she didn't even notice when a yellow stallion approached her.

- May I have this dance?

Startled, the younger Twilight turned her head quickly and bumped her muzzle into the stallion's chest. She shook her head and looked up to his face.

- Flash Sentry?

- That's my name.

Younger Twilight gulped and looked away, blushing. Her cheeks were so red that she felt them burning. Her throat tightened as she tried to form an answer that got lost on her tongue and her eyes couldn't leave the floor.

- So, wanna dance? - He said again, reaching out.

- Do... Do... Do you want to... Dance with me?

- If you say yes, of course!

- I... I... Why?

- Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on... And I think it will be fun! So, what do you say?

She smiled as she gave him her hoof. Soon they joined the other ponies dancing, and even adult Twilight blushed when she saw Flash kissing her younger self on the dance floor.

- You remember Flash? - Fluttershy asked, motionless.

- Of course! This was our first kiss! He was my coatfriend until... - She sighed before she could finish her sentence - Until I broke up with him.

- Why did you break up with him?

Twilight looked up.

- I don't remember. - She lied.

Fluttershy turned around and started to go towards a door. Twilight followed her, confused. When the door was open, Twilight felt a little dizzy and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they weren't on the school anymore, but in Twilight's store. They watched as Flash entered and past Twilight was on her table, reading something.

- No! - Ghost Twilight cried and covered her face that was covered in tears - I don't want to see this! It was the day I broke up with him!

- So you do remember the reason? - Fluttershy asked.

- Yes! I broke up with him because I didn't want to waste my time with him when I could be working, ok? Now please take me away! I can no longer bear these memories!

Fluttershy nodded and stomped her hoof again. They were back to Twilight's house, but the decoration was gone and it was as cold as ever. Twilight put her face on a pillow on the couch and started to cry again.

- Why? Why did I break up with him? Why didn't I keep in touch with Rainbow?

Fluttershy opened the window and sighed. She opened her wings, but before she started to flap them she turned to Twilight.

- Remember, Twilight. You fashioned these memories yourself. - Her voice echoed.

Twilight didn't even look at her when the pegasus started to fly and disappeared through the window, leaving the unicorn alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Now I want to explain why I picked Fluttershy to be the spirit of the past: first of all, I imagine the spirit of the past as really kind, because the happy memories of when you were younger can always warm your heart. Also, she's really delicated, so I just could totally picture her for the role. And remember that this is not cannon, so I know that she was a little harsh towards the end, but that's what the spirit of the past would do.<strong>

**Now I have to decide who will be the spirit of the present. I think I already know. Any hints?**

**Hope you liked it, and please review and rate! See you next chapter!**


	3. The spirit of the present

**Now we get to meet the spirit of Hearth's warming present.**

* * *

><p>Twilight lifted her head and wiped the tears away, sighing in sadness. She stood in place for a moment, until a draft made her shrink. After another sigh, she sat up in the couch and turned to the window. She walked up to it and was about to close it, but she stopped and looked to the sky instead. Up there, the moon and the stars shined bright. The wind blew hard, but it didn't change the serenity of the night. Fluttershy was nowhere to be found.<p>

She glanced down at the houses bellow and saw all the decorations they had. They were all so beautiful that she wished her house was decorated like that. If it was, maybe she wouldn't be thinking so much about her loneliness. Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she finally closed the window. Suddenly her eyes got heavy and it was hard to keep them open. After yawning, she used her magic to bring her scarf to her and wrapped it around her neck.

"It's so old and shabby. I should get a new one... A new scarf wouldn't be too much, I think."

She tried to go back to the couch, but her hooves wouldn't move. She felt as tired as if she had just run a thousand miles. It was getting hard to breathe and Twilight felt it getting colder and colder. It didn't make sense, as she had just closed the window and was wearing her scarf she should feel warmer instead.

"I better go to my room and... Get some rest..."

Twilight felt her whole body heavy and her hooves hurt. Her eyelids wouldn't obey her and they kept going down no matter how hard she tried to keep them up. She rubbed her eyes, scared of what was happening to her body, and took a deep breath before trying to straighten her pose again and walk to her room to get some rest. But after five steps, the sudden tiredness got the best of her and she passed out on her couch.

* * *

><p>The first thing Twilight saw when she opened her eyes was the couch's armrest right in front of her. It took her moment before she could remember where she was and what had happened. She felt a pounding in her head that made her shiver in pain for a moment, but soon it was gone. She lifted her head looked around. Everything seemed to be normal. It was still night, and there were no decorations and no ponies singing on her living room as it happened before, what made her sigh in relief.<p>

- A dream. Yes. It was a just dream. I was too tired of working, got home, passed out on the couch and had the weirdest dream. It makes sense. I did not see Rarity's ghost, a singing pegasus did not appear on my living room and I did not eat cookies today. And I didn't travel to the past.

- Do you feel better when you deny what you've seen with your own eyes?

Twilight's eyes widened when she heard the voice. Her heart started to beat faster in fear as she gulped and took a deep breath. She pinched her hoof and let out a shriek when she felt pain, letting her know that whatever was happening was reality. Now she didn't feel tired anymore and her body seemed to be normal, not hurting at all like it was... For how much time had she slept? Had it been for hours or just few minutes? Twilight shook her head and slowly got out of the couch, standing still. Whoever had spoken to her was behind the couch.

- Who is there? - Twilight asked without moving at all.

- Why don't you turn around and see? Come here, closer to me.

Twilight rolled her eyes. Nothing else scared her anymore. She turned around and slowly walked around the couch, meeting the creature who had spoken. Even if the room was dark, the very spot where that creature stood was illuminated as if it was under a spotlight. When Twilight looked up, she saw that the light seemed to come down from the ceiling. It didn't make sense, but that night wasn't being exactly normal either.

She approached the creature and turned her head in confusion. It looked like a pony, but not exactly. She assumed it was a female because of its voice, and saw that her body had a weird color pattern she had never seen before. The coat was full of strikes and her eyes were blue. All over her body she had golden accessories attached to her. Besides her there was a lamp, but even though it was alight it didn't seem to illuminate anything.

Twilight stood still, looking the creature in the eyes for a few moments.

- Twilight Sparkle, I presume. It's a pleasure to meet you.

The unicorn blinked in response.

- Who... What are you?

- I'll answer you indeed, I'm a zebra and Zecora is how they call me.

- A zebra? Ok, I think this wasn't weird enough with a regular pony. And... What are you doing here?

- I'm afraid I have no ordinary post, as I'm Hearth's warming present ghost.

- Are you going to rhyme every single phrase? - Twilight asked unimpressed.

- Twilight Sparkle, much you've seen and much you've done, but you fail to see what you've become. Now that the past is clear on your mind and you know what you've left behind, it's time to show you what's around and yet remain unfound.

Twilight blinked.

- Come again?

- You've seen the past and that is true. My task is to show the present to you.

- Show the present? Look, I understand that Rarity sent a spirit, ghost, whatever to show me my past. I didn't remember half the things she showed me. But showing the present is as useless as... As anything useless. I live the present right now; I know what happens in it. I know what's currently happening; I don't need a ghost to show me.

Zecora giggled, leaving Twilight confused. The zebra reached out for Twilight, who rolled her eyes and hold Zecora's hoof. The zebra brought the unicorn closer until she was by her side under the spotlight. Soon everything around them started to fade until the spotlight was the only light. Twilight gulped in fear when she couldn't see anything around her but darkness. She hold Zecora's hoof, the zebra smiled and shook her head.

- Don't worry, my friend. Hurting is not what I intend.

Soon the ambience around them started to fade in as the spotlight they were under started to fade out. When they were able to see again, Twilight and Zecora were in the middle of a small living room. There was a table that should be as old as time itself, just like all the furniture; the fire in the fireplace burnt so slightly that the room would remain as cold if it wasn't alight. The walls were full of cracks and there were some buckets full of water on the floor, showing how many gutters the house had.

- Where are we? - Twilight asked - I'm sure I haven't been here before.

Before Zecora could say anything, a familiar orange pony with a yellow mane entered the room. She threw a few more sticks into the fire, trying to make it warmer. Then she grabbed a very old scarf and wrapped it around her neck.

- Applejack? Is this where she lives? - Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.

- Yes, that is right; this is where she's been living her whole life.

- But with what I pay her she could afford to live in a better place. She's the one to blame if she lives in a place like this. - Twilight said.

Zecora shook her head as a big, red stallion entered the room as well, hugging Applejack.

- Howdy, big brother! What's up?

- She has a brother?

- I'm sure you would know she has a brother if you ever bothered to listen to her.

- Well, having a family is not an excuse. I'm sure her brother can work and make money. If they live in a place like this it's because they want to.

- Twilight, judging isn't right, maybe when you don't know about their life.

Twilight blinked and kept watching the scene. She felt bad when she saw how little food they had as the stallion prepared the table. She could hear his stomach growling and felt sorry for him. Applejack pushed a box with her hooves to the center of the room and opened it, revealing old decorations such as broken ornaments and a very old wreath. She sighed when she saw those, but smiled when she heard a voice calling from behind.

- Applejack, sis, don't start to decorate without me!

A small yellow filly with red mane tied in a bow entered the room. She had tired eyes and her face was a little pale, unlike the usual healthy appearance fillies had. Twilight frowned in confusion when she noticed that the filly's right front hoof didn't touch the floor, for it was wrapped in a bandage. Because of that she walked with difficulty and was very clumsy.

- Wait for me! - She said again, running towards Applejack. She stumbled and was about to fall, but her older sister quickly hold her before she could hit the floor.

- Hold on there, small filly. Where's granny?

- Howdy, my little ponies! - Said an old green mare as she slowly entered the room. The filly that was on Applejack's hoof ran towards the old mare, giving her a hug.

- Ok, ok, I get it. She has a little sister and a grandmother who can't work. But where are her parents?

- The parents of the cowmare are no longer here. They passed away long ago, on this very time of year.

- You mean... Her parents died on Hearth's warming? That's... That's horrible.

Twilight slowly smiled as she watched the family reunited, singing songs and decorating the house. She couldn't help but notice how the filly coughed a lot. She for sure didn't seem ok. Hadn't Applejack said something about her sister being sick?

- Zecora... What's wrong with the filly?

- Much, I need to say. She needs help but they can't pay.

Twilight nodded, sadly; and kept watching the family. They all reunited around the table and prepared to eat. The filly's smile didn't fade when she saw that all they had to eat was a little amount of hay.

- Look at all the wonderful things to eat! I'm starving!

- Hold on, little pony. - The old mare said, patting the filly's head.

- Oh, right. - Applebloom said, giggling - We have to say thanks!

- Yup!

They all put their hooves together as the filly started to talk.

- I wanna say thanks for the food, for our home, for our health and for everything else. May our parents be in a good place now, and bless everypony we know, even Miss Sparkle. If she hadn't given Applejack a job, none of this would be possible.

Twilight gasped and started to tear up. She rubbed her eyes and when she opened them again the ambience had changed. They were still on the same room as before, but now it was much darker and quieter. The fireplace wasn't lit and all the light of the room came from a candle. Applejack was sitting on the floor with a small chest in front of her. She sighed sadly and started to take coins out of it to count them.

- One, two, three, four, five...

Granny Smith entered the room and Applejack stopped counting.

- Hello, granny. Is Applebloom asleep yet?

- Yes, all comfy in her bed. The poor thing was so tired. So, how much do we have?

Applejack looked to the chest again and counted in silence.

- Thirteen. Thirteen pieces of silver. We still need twenty seven more to pay for Applebloom's treatment.

Granny sat beside Applejack and sighed.

- She still thinks it's just a broken leg?

- Yes.

- It's been almost a year, Applejack. She soon will question her real situation.

- I hope it doesn't happen too soon. Look, she won't find out. I'll get the money we need before she notices it.

- I know you work very hard, Applejack, and I wish I could help you and big Mac. I'll see if I find anything else we can sell.

- We've sold everything we could, granny. If we keep like this we'll have no furniture left.

The old mare glanced at the table.

- Not _everything_.

Applejack closed the chest and walked to the table, grabbing some small object that Twilight couldn't identify.

- I can't sell this, granny! You know how much it means to me!

- How much could it mean if that pony doesn't even talk to you anymore?

- That's just it. Even if she's changed, this necklace reminds me of what we used to be. And besides, this wouldn't be worth another piece of silver anyway; they would pay us one or two bits. It's just some costume jewelry.

Granny sighed and nodded. She approached Applejack and took the necklace off her hoof, putting it around her granddaughter's neck. Twilight gasped when she saw the apple shaped pedant.

- It does suit you. - The old mare smiled.

Twilight shook her head, incredulous and ran to Applejack until she was in front of her and started to speak.

- Applejack! You still have the necklace even after the way I treated you? Applejack!

The cowmare started to walk and passed right through Twilight, who was in shock. The purple pony knew that Applejack couldn't see or hear her, but seeing the necklace after so many years... And Applejack had refused to sell it, even if it meant less money for her family and her sister. She watched Applejack leave the room with her granny as the light started to fade out. The spotlight was back and Zecora was by her side. The zebra patted Twilight's shoulder.

- Zecora... What will happen to Applejack's sister?

- I'm no ghost of the future, my dear, but this path is way too clear; there's a shadow on this family and if things do not change soon, I see an empty chair where once sat little Applebloom.

Twilight gulped.

- That means... Applebloom will...

Before she could finish her sentence, the ambience around her was filled with light again. Now they were in some kind of old house. It wasn't as old as Applejack's, but for sure it could use some renovation. There were a few cracks on the wall and even in spirit form Twilight could feel the cold drafts that went through the house. Three fillies and two colts played around the room, chasing each other. Their clothes were worn and old and they were dirty from head to hoof, but it didn't change the fact that they were adorable.

- Where are we? - Twilight asked.

- Ho, ho, everypony! - Said a familiar voice.

When Twilight turned her head, she saw a pink pony entering the room. She was dressed as Santa Hooves and carried a huge bag. When the kids saw her, they ran towards her and gave her a huge group hug. She fell on the floor and started to laugh as the kids tickled her.

- Stop! I can't take it! - She said, giggling.

- Pinkie Pie? What is she doing here?

Zecora giggled and shook her head.

- Twilight, she asks for money every day; when that's done she comes here to play. She gives each one of them a toy, and brings the orphans some joy.

- Orphans? Of course, the charity! I remember... - She stopped talking and gulped as realization hit her - I spat on her hat when she asked me for money.

Twilight sat down as she watched the orphans playing with Pinkie Pie. After giving each one of them a gift, she helped them to open and play with the toys. The room was filled with laughter and foals ran all around. It lasted for several minutes before a purple-ish mare with a pink mane entered the room and smiled.

- Hey, everypony, attention please!

- Oh, hello, Miss Cheerilee! - Pinkie said, taking off her Santa hat.

- Hello, Pinkie Pie. I see you're doing an amazing job, as always! If it wasn't for you, our Hearth's warming would be really sad.

- Come on, my pleasure! There's nothing better than seeing those smiley faces! And my family has to work on the rock farm, so I was a little lonely. Not anymore! - She said, rubbing her muzzle on the belly of a filly and making her laugh.

- So this is where she spends the money, uh? I never thought about it. - Twilight said, sighing.

- Well, but it's time to go to bed now! - Cheerilee called.

- But Miss Cheerilee, we're not tired! - Cried a blue filly that crossed her hooves.

- I have an idea! - Pinkie said, raising her hoof - What if I told you a bedtime story? If Cheerilee agrees, of course.

The fillies put their hooves together and begged please. Cheerilee smiled, sighed and finally nodded. All the kids cheered as they ran and sat around Pinkie. She started to tell a story, adding and changing things whenever the orphans asked her to.

- And so the princess entered the cave and found a...

- A dragon? - Said a yellow colt.

- Yes, a dragon! Had she not known how to fight very well, she would have been killed! She defeated the dragon with help of a...

- A magic jewel? - A pink filly said.

- Yes, exactly!

Twilight laughed at Pinkie's playfulness. Being very careful not to step on anypony even if she was a ghost, Twilight approached and sat herself among the children to listen to Pinkie's story. Sometimes she would even give suggestions herself, even if she knew that Pinkie couldn't hear her. Zecora giggled and laid down, listening to the story.

* * *

><p>- And that's how a sandwich saved the day. The end!<p>

By the time Pinkie finished her story, all the fillies and colts were sleeping on the ground. Twilight walked to Zecora and they watched as Pinkie and Cheerilee carefully carried the kids to put them in bed.

- So, my dear, do you like the story you hear?

- Oh, yes! It was so funny! I almost felt like a filly again. Thank you for bringing me here. After this all ends, I'll come back here to... - She cleaned her throat - I mean, yes, it's a cool place.

- Nice you think so, what a shame it won't last long.

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

- What do you mean?

- This place has no money to keep the kids, so they're going to put an end to this.

- Wait, do you mean they'll close the orphanage?

Zecora nodded.

- But what about the orphans?

- Who knows what will be their fate when this cruel world they have to face. All alone out there, not a single soul who cares.

- _I _care! Those poor things can't just go to the street! Why won't anypony do something?

Suddenly, Twilight's own voice echoed inside her head.

"Charity is useless!"  
>"Pinkie Pie, you're just a fool!"<br>"Do you have to do it every year?"

- Stop! Ok, I get it! Stop these voices!

The light around them started to fade again, till only the spotlight was left. Zecora watched as Twilight shook her head.

- Zecora, make it stop! Please!

The zebra stamped her hoof and Twilight fell on the floor. She slowly got up, relieved to see that the voices were gone. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was again under the spotlight, darkness around her.

- Are we going home now?

The zebra shook her head.

- The orphanage was very sweet, but our journey is not complete.

Twilight sighed and nodded. The ambience around her started to fade in. She found herself in the middle of a lot of ponies in a big living room. They were all chatting, laughing and playing as an amazing smell of food filled the air.

- I've been here before, but I can't put my hoof on it...

- Attention, everypony!

Twilight recognized the voice who was calling before she saw the pony who owned it. All the ponies stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Twilight turned around, slowly.

- This is Shining Armor's house. And this is the party he had called me to join, isn't it? - Twilight said.

Zecora showed no reaction. She and the purple unicorn just watched as the white pony spoke up.

- I'm really glad to have everypony here with me. This for sure is the best Hearth's warming I've ever had! Thank you all for coming and for bringing so many amazing decorations and food! Also, I would like to thank everypony who attended my wedding last week.

A pink pegasus entered the room and went to Shining Armor's side, giving him a kiss.

- Is that his wife? But... She was my foal-sitter, Cadence! I haven't seen her in ages, she was so funny! I can't believe he married her!

- It's amazing to have everypony here. I've been married for a week now, but it has already been the best week of my life! Now, who wants to play "What I am"?

The foals happily jumped as they raised their hooves.

- Can I start? - Said a yellow colt with blue mane and green eyes.

- Of course you can, Ultra Flash!

- What is "What I am"? - Asked a filly.

- It's very simple: a pony will think of something and we will make questions. We have to guess what he is based on his answers. Get it? - Cadence explained and the filly nodded.

The colt tapped his chin.

- Ok, I'm ready! What am I?

- Are you an object? - Cadence asked.

- No.

- Are you a wild animal? - A filly asked.

- Sort of. - He smiled.

- Sort of? What do you mean?

- You know the rules, only yes or no questions! - He said, smiling.

- Ok... Are you a pony? - Shining Armor asked.

- Yes.

Twilight turned her head in confusion, for she was also trying to find out what the colt was pretending to be. She remembered the game as she and Shining Armor used to play that a lot.

- You are a pony, and sort of a wild animal? That's hard.

- Are you some kind of mutant? - Asked a brown pony.

- Some say I am!

The ponies looked at each other in confusion.

- Ok, hum, are you real?

- Yes.

- Look, this is really hard. Since nopony guessed what you are with the questions, you'll have to do an imitation.

The colt nodded and made a serious expression. Then he pretended to be reading and started to say with an angry voice:

- No! No! Get out of here! Stupid holiday.

- Wait! Are you my sister, Twilight Sparkle?

The cold nodded and everypony started to laugh, including Shining Armor and Zecora.

- What? How dare that brat! Take me home, I don't want to stay where nopony likes me. - Twilight frowned.

- What a shame your sister didn't come, I really wanted to see her. She's so pretty! - The colt who had imitated Twilight said.

- I know, Ultra Fash, but she couldn't come. Maybe next year she'll do it! I really wanted her here too. Now go play with the other foals.

Twilight gasped and looked down.

- Where nopony likes you? That for sure is not what they do. Every year he invites you to come here, only for you to ignore him. - Zecora said.

Twilight sighed and closed her eyes.

- That's true, I do ignore him. But I...

She opened her eyes and saw that she was back at her house. Zecora wasn't there anymore and everything seemed to be normal.

- Hello? - The purple unicorn asked.

No reply. Twilight sighed and went back to her room, laying on her bed and closing her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so, why Zecora?<strong>

**I admit that when I started to write this chapter, Discord was supposed to be the spirit of the present. I thought the role fitted him because I imagined the spirit as really playful. But then again, I thought it would be too out of character - after all, I do pick them**** based on the cannon show. When Zecora came to my mind, I thought that she would be perfect to play a spirit because she is very wise and mysterious. Sorry if the rhymes are bad, writing in english isn't what I do best.**

**And now you see why I picked Applejack to play Bob Cratchit. Her family is perfect for the role, left alone her fitting personality. The idea of saving pieces of silver was inspired by the movie "The scarecrow" (2000). The orphanage thing was inspired by the Barbie version of the story, not to mention it seemed a good way to improve Pinkie's character. And I wanted to include Miss Cheerilee somehow.**

**And yes, I know that Cadance is an alicorn in the show, but I thought it didn't fit here. Maybe some of you aren't aware, but before she was a princess she was a pegasus.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, and see you next chapter. Oh, and thank you all for your reviews! It's always good to have some feedback.**


	4. The spirit of the future

**Before you read I better clarify: In this universe, princesses don't exist, therefore Celestia is not the ruler.**

* * *

><p>Twilight snuggled under her blanket, rolling on her bed as she tried to sleep. Suddenly she felt like it was getting colder and colder. She buried her face on the pillow, trying to warm up her muzzle. Her whole body started to shiver as she felt something different. It wasn't exactly cold or pain, but she could use those words to describe that sensation. She panted and her head pounded for a few seconds.<p>

She finally opened her eyes. In front of her, standing still, there was a figure. Had it been any other night, she would have started to scream and run around; afraid. But not that night. Instead, she just sat up as she looked that pony in the eye. As her vision adjusted to the darkness of the night, she was able to see the pony with the little light that came from the stars outside.

Twilight didn't say a word as she examined the pony in front of her. She had a dark blue color with deadly cold, yet beautiful blue eyes as well. Her mane was partially translucent, rippling and sparkly, not to mention wavy. Twilight thought it was like she had a galaxy on her head instead of hair. She was tall and her body was slim. She wore some accessories such as silver shoes and a necklace that had the image of a moon. The unicorn got out of her bed and the pony stepped back as Twilight stood in front of her.

- Hello. I suppose you're the ghost of the future.

The dark pony slightly nodded.

Twilight glanced at the back of the pony and saw that she had wings. Then she looked back to the pony's face, making sure she had a horn as well.

- An alicorn? Hum. I thought alicorns were just a myth. What's your name?

- Luna.

Twilight stood still, waiting for the mare to say something else, but it didn't happen.

- I see you're not a mare of many words.

- Shall we go?

Twilight nodded and Luna's horn started glow, and after a flash the room vanished into thin air in front of Twilight's eyes. When she looked around, she and Luna were in a strange, ethereal space full of stars and nebulae. Luna turned around and started to walk through that space. Twilight followed her as the alicorn led her down a pathway of stars as dozens of images float by, depicting Twilight in several moments she couldn't seem to remember.

- Why so many images?

- The future is very different from the past. - Luna said, staring straight ahead - One can't say for sure what will be. Every new choice you make leads us to what will happen next. You must keep in mind that what I'll show here is not confirmed in anyway, but your most likely future if you keep going on the path you are now. Do you understand?

Twilight hesitated before nodding. Luna stopped walking.

A small road of stars started to mold itself in front of Luna's hooves. Twilight gazed in awe at the twinkles. On the end of that road, an image was slowly formed by many other twinkles. When it was ready, Twilight could see an empty room. Luna started to walk on the road of stars, but stopped when she saw Twilight wasn't following her. She nodded, meaning that was all fine and kept walking. Twilight started to walk on the road, scared. She didn't know what would happen if she stepped out of the stars, so she kept watching her step.

She only lifted her head when she saw that Luna was finally in front of the image. She just walked through it, and Twilight gasped when she saw the alicorn disappear and the image trembled for some seconds. She knew she had to follow her. Twilight puffed out her chest and kept walking. She lifted her hoof and touched the image, but took it away when she saw it disappear through the image. After taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and finally made her way through the image.

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><p>If Twilight had to pick up one word to describe what she felt as she crossed the image, it would be wiggle. It was like her whole body was submerged in jelly. It would have been actually funny if she wasn't scared to death of what was going to happen next.<p>

Suddenly, she bumped into something. When she opened her eyes, she saw she had bumped into Luna, who was - as always - staring straight ahead. Twilight looked around and saw that she was again in a living room. Contrary to all the other ones she had been already on that night, it wasn't old. It was big, with fancy furniture all around and a big fireplace. The wood the floor was made of seemed expensive.

- Where are we? It seems familiar.

Shining Armor entered room, and Twilight's eyes widened. He was older, but at the same time he seemed even more beautiful. He had grown and had had his mane cut; now he had only his forelock as the crest had been trimmed. It was a little weird, true, but she liked it a lot. After he entered the room, the pink pegasus Twilight had seen on his party with Zecora entered the room as well. She was taller and thinner, and her mane was much longer now. Cadance hugged her husband and smiled.

- Time suits them very well. - Luna said, still motionless.

- It does. - Twilight nodded.

All the ponies in the room, including the ghost ones, turned their heads when a white pegasus filly with blue hair entered the room. She was wearing a Santa Hooves hat and ran towards her parents.

- They had a filly? She's so adorable!

- They had a filly a few time ago. She's still very young. They invited you for Cadence's baby shower, but it looks like you were too busy to go. I see a brilliant tomorrow for this kid, who is called Sunshine Bright if you're wondering, but I don't see an "aunt Twilight" on her future.

- It means... She won't get to know me?

Twilight turned her head to look at Luna, but the alicorn wasn't by her side anymore. Twilight turned around and saw that behind her there was that strange nebulae, Luna slowly walking away. She looked to where Shining Armor and his family were previously; only to find more nebulae. She tilted her head, but shrugged and followed Luna into the nebulae. She watched as another path of starts appeared and another image formed at the edge.

This time Twilight wasn't scared anymore. She didn't even close her eyes as she followed the alicorn into the image.

* * *

><p>For a while, everything was white, like a flash, but it didn't hurt Twilight's eyes. Slowly the white faded and Twilight saw that she and Luna were in some kind of dark alley. Trash cans and bags were all around, the smell wasn't exactly pleasant. A heavy fog made it hard to see, but Twilight let out a shriek when she saw a huge mouse run between her hooves.<p>

- Where are we? Why did you bring me here?

Luna looked at Twilight without saying a word. Every time those blue eyes met the lavender eyes of the unicorn, she shrank in fear. Twilight shrank in fear. She didn't know why. Luna was very beautiful, but something about her was scary. It was almost like a natural reaction, like if something inside Twilight was afraid of the alicorn. Luna just turned her head back to the alley.

Three ponies came from inside the alley. One of them seemed to be around a year younger than Twilight and was a male; the other one seemed to be a teenager mare and the last one was even younger than little Applebloom. They were all very skinny and their few clothes were threadbare. The two older ones tried to make the youngest one confortable as the baby cried for food they didn't have. After a few time, she slept.

- What do we do now, John? - The teenager mare said, rubbing her hooves to try to keep them warm.

- I don't know, Lily. I'll think of something tomorrow. You should try to get some rest, I'll keep guard.

The teenager mare nodded and got chills when her belly rumbled, but put her head down and tried to sleep. Twilight couldn't believe such misery, mainly when they were just kids.

- Luna, who are those?

- You may remember the oldest one from the orphanage. He was one of the foals who were listening to Pinkie's story. After the orphanage closed, some of the orphans found good homes, but he wasn't lucky. He lived alone on the abandoned building for a few time, until the teenager mare was abandoned in front of the building when her parents thought it was still on business. He decided to take care of her, and they found the baby yesterday on this very alley. Somepony would have taken her to the orphanage if it wasn't closed and she would have been adopted by a mare with the mane of a rainbow.

- Rainbow Dash would have adopted her? But... Wait, how do you know what would have happened? - Twilight raised an eyebrow.

- The future has many ways of happening. What you see in front of your eyes is just the most likely future according to your current present.

- So... What will happen to these orphans?

- I'm afraid that they will face a direful fate. The baby will not survive much longer, what will cause the teenager to get depressed and give up living. Now for the boy, he'll end up in jail for the rest of his life after stealing food. He is a pony of noble principles, but starvation changes everyone.

- No! It shouldn't be like this! It's so unfair! - Twilight sighed - But what about Pinkie Pie? What about her raisings for the orphanage?

- She did what she could. Only I know how she tried to help, the many nights she lied awake. What a shame it was all in vain.

- But what about _her_? Where is she now?

- After the closing of the orphanage, she didn't see any reason to keep living in Ponyville. She left everything behind and went back to the rock farm where she lived as a filly to work with her family. Her mane is no longer puffy and she no longer smiles, and now she's known as Pinkamena.

- Can I see her? Please, take me to see her!

- It's not within my task. Of all the things that concern Pinkie's future, the orphans are the worst part, and they're all you need to see. She has a family, food and a place to sleep at night. Don't feel sorry for her.

- But I... I want to see her!

Ignoring Twilight, Luna's horn started to glow again and the nebulae was back. Twilight sighed and followed the alicorn. She looked around to the dozens of images that floated by, and saw one that caught her attention. The image showed Pinkie Pie with straight hair in the middle of a dry, dusty land as she broke rocks. She breathed heavily and never changed her sad expression.

- Twilight? - Luna called from afar. The alicorn turned her head and saw Twilight standing still looking at the image that depicted Pinkie's future.

- This is it, isn't it? This is her future. This is what happened with Pinkie Pie.

Luna closed her eyes and nodded as Twilight shook her head and reached the alicorn. When they were side by side again they entered an image, just like before.

That time Twilight knew exactly where they were, for she had been there on that very same night. It was Applejack's house, but it was empty. It remained like that for a few seconds until the door slowly started to open and Applejack entered the room. She had tired eyes and her face was covered in tears. She sat down and granny Smith entered the room. She walked and closed the door her granddaughter had left open.

- Did you go there again? - The old mare asked.

- Yes, granny. You should see how it is, so beautiful. I left a dozen roses again. But I'm afraid I won't be able to keep leaving flowers for a while now that I'm jobless. I hope she can forgive me.

- Jobless? - Twilight tilted her head - But she works for me!

- You fired her after she got late because she was at the funeral. - Luna said, motionless.

- I did? But she was at a funeral, for pony's sake! How was I capable to... Wait. Funeral? That means...

Twilight glanced at the table and saw the bandage she had seen Applebloom wearing. She shook her head slowly and tried to hold the tears.

- Luna, please, take me home. I can't see this anymore! I don't want to see this anymore!

- Certainly. That's our next destiny anyway.

Before Twilight could ask what Luna meant, the alicorn did all the magic again. Twilight was just so tired that she just sighed as she walked through the ethereal space. She avoided looking sideways, afraid of what she would see on the images. She lowered her head as she followed Luna into another image.

When she lifted her head, she was on her living room. She was about to go to her room and get some rest when she looked at her hoof and saw it was still blue and transparent, meaning she was still a ghost. When she looked ahead, she saw a slightly older version of herself sitting on the couch. The older Twilight sighed, walked and put a single wreath on her fireplace as she started to cry.

Ghost Twilight didn't need to ask why her older self was crying. She knew it. It was because she had nopony. She had lost everypony with her behavior.

- Happy Hearth's warming, Twilight. - Twilight ghost said to her older self.

The scene continued for a few minutes until Luna stomped her hoof. A hard wind started to push Twilight and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw she was purple and on her room, tucked in her bed. Luna was on the doorway, about to leave.

- Luna, wait.

The alicorn stopped and, without turning her head, she said:

- The reason why you feel fear when I'm near you is because the future also holds death. The future holds the end. All who are alive in the present, all that you love, will eventually die and fade. I may be the ghost of future, but I'm also the one who guides souls to their final destiny. Does it answer your question?

Startled, Twilight nodded and watched as Luna left her alone in her room. She was about to cry about what she had seen and done, but her tiredness got the best of her and before she knew it, she was sleeping.

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><p><strong>Of all the three ghosts, for sure the one of the future was the easiest to pick and to write. Of course I was very inspired by the episode "For whom the Sweetie Bell toils" and "Magical mystery cure". Once the fun part for me is trying to match both stories as accurate as possible, this was the best chapter in my opinion.<strong>

**You can point out that Luna guided Sweetie Bell through the past on that episode, therefore it would have been even more accurate if she played Fluttershy's role, but there's a reason why I picked her to be the future ghost instead: it doesn't matter which adaptation you're talking about, the ghost of the future is always more mysterious and/or darker. I couldn't picture anypony better than Luna; not to mention she's my favorite princess.**

**Only one chapter left. I had so much fun writing this that I wish it had lasted longer, but there isn't really anything I could add to make it longer. Well, see you next chapter! Remember to review.**


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